The Syntax of Scent: Can We Ever Truly Describe Smells with Words?
Why can we describe a shade of blue with a dozen words, but struggle to articulate the scent of rain? Our language seems to fail us when it comes to smell, a phenomenon known as the “olfactory-verbal gap.” This article explores the neurological wiring and cultural forces behind this disconnect, and asks if we can ever truly build a grammar of scent.
